For several years now, the general population has been well aware of the negative effects that smoking has on pregnancy. Smoking while pregnant restricts oxygen flow to the fetus, increases the baby’s heart rate, and ups your chances of a miscarriage…just to name a few. In simpler words, just don’t do it.
Now, as e-cigarettes are becoming a popular, healthier and hella good alternative to smoking, the effects that they have pregnancy are less obvious. While you’re not inhaling carbon monoxide and 4,000 other poisonous chemicals when vaping, there’s still the question of how nicotine affects pregnancy.
Nicotine and Pregnancy
Studies have been conducted to determine how nicotine specifically, apart from cigarettes, affects pregnancy. Most studies haven’t been able to reach definitive conclusions, but generally too much exposure to nicotine can have unintended effects in animals, specifically on cognitive development. When it comes to human development, nicotine affects the areas of the brain that are responsible for language development, cognition and memory.
It will probably be some time before we know that exact effects that nicotine has on a fetus in-utero. More research will have to be done, but in the meantime it’s recommended that pregnant women avoid using nicotine in any form.
Gregory Conley of the American Vaping Association agrees, saying “While the use of smoke-free nicotine products is generally far less hazardous than smoking, pregnant women should refrain from using all nicotine products, including FDA-approved products like the nicotine patch and gum.”
While it’s a bummer for those vapers who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, it’s worth keeping your baby safe!
Zero-Nicotine E-liquid
You might be thinking, “Well I’ll just vape nicotine free e-liquid and all will be right in the world!” You might be on the right track, but there’s a few things to keep in mind. While you can customize the amount of nicotine in your e-liquid, some e-liquid manufactures that supposedly produce zero nicotine e-liquids still have traces of nicotine in the liquid. Make sure that you’re buying your e-liquid from a quality manufacturer, like VaporFi, that puts only the best e-liquid into your vaping device.
As always, discuss these important decisions with your pregnancy doctor.
For more information about vaping and your life, check out our online blog and knowledge center. Happy Vaping!
